Useful Stuff

Deb’s Note..

A key value I want to bring in through this blog initiative on Leadership Lessons is to debunk the ‘C-Level and Exec Myth’ that most of today’s talented professionals at every level are often overwhelmed with. People who have made to the Exec and C Suites are ordinary human beings with extraordinary passion, energy, ability to energize; they are decisive and they are capable of delivering consistently predictable results. They are also mostly very open to sharing their knowledge and learning with the world!

My objective of introducing my blog readers to Umesh’s work is not to herd you on to a ‘Route to a CEO’ initiative. Rather it is an attempt to give everyone an opportunity to mentally demystify the C-level mindset, thought process, expectations and the results they seek. I am hoping that this understanding will help you in relating to these individuals both in social and business situations that often present themselves with confidence and poise. It will enable you to make these engagements productive and help you progressively enrich yourself from each of these meetings.

I am also confidently looking forward to seeing many of you making it to the C-suites and contributing to Umesh’s future offerings…

Umesh Ramakrishnan - About the Book

I’ll be honest with you. I’m not a big fan of business books. You may think that a statement like that is ironic coming from a person who has just authored one. However, you have to examine the reasons for my disenchantment for this genre – especially books on building leadership skills to get you to the top of an organization.

The primary reason is that most of these books are written by observers of business, not ones that lead organizations and carry the scars of failure on their road to success. Academics, journalists and consultants are bright but their opinion on leadership lack the credibility required to teach lessons to executives eager to make their mark in the corporate world. The publishing graveyard is littered with books on lessons of leadership being taught by people on the sidelines.

Now, there are credible books on leadership written by true leaders of successful organizations – Jack Welch, Lee Iacocca to name a couple. These books are insightful and have obviously been successful. However, my issue with this sub-genre is that the opinions stated in these books are primarily those of one person and therefore lack a holistic view of leadership skills.

Now, to answer the question in the title of this post – This book, although authored by me, brings you directly in touch with dozens of CEOs around the world. The lessons of leadership come to you directly from leaders of companies like Charles Schwab, Lenovo, JC Penney, PepsiCo, Infosys, Aetna, Cadbury-Schweppes, NCR, BT, Singapore Telecom to name a few. As stated by Penguin (the publisher) on the jacket of the book – “There have been many books by CEOs but never a book that pulled together so much great advice from so many top executives who found so many different ways to reach the top of the corporate world.”

As the economy falters, the corporate world will need great leaders to lift it out of this tailspin. More than ever, these lessons of leadership will guide you to the top. There is No Elevator to The Top but these corporate captains will provide a roadmap to get there quickly.

Available at: Amazon B&N

Who is Umesh Ramakrishnan?

Umesh draws on his impressive career as a premier corporate recruiter and vice chairman of CTPartners, one of the world’s leading retained executive search firms. Umesh provides consultation to the boards of directors and chief executives of global corporations. He has recruited members for boards of directors, CEOs, CFOS, COOs, and other senior management positions. Clients regularly engage him to conduct international assignments, leveraging his experience in North and South America, Europe, and Asia.

Before joining CTPartners, Umesh was COO of R&R International and President of R&R Global, an off-shore engineering and applications development firm. Based in Cleveland, Umesh has assumed leadership roles within the firm. A member of the executive committee of the firm and the board of directors of CTPartners, he is one of the leaders responsible for the firm’s global expansion strategy and implementation. Regularly quoted in major industry and national publications, a sought-after speaker, an author and a regular guest on CNBC’s Closing Bell and Power Lunch, Umesh graduated from Bangalore University in India and holds a master’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Texas. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Children’s Museum of Cleveland.

Umesh Ramakrishnan’s Blog: www.noelevatortothetop.com/